The tuning lever is available in a couple of different styles, including a T Handle and a Gooseneck Handle, and personal preference should be what governs which you use. The Gooseneck tends to offer more leverage, but it does not let you fine tune the instrument quite as well. The T Handle on the other hand offers more control for fine tuning but is not quite as easy to turn for some players. Make sure that the tuning lever that you choose fits the pins in your instrument.
The bridge bumper is a tool that should be used with extreme care, and by people who know what they are doing, so get guidance if you feel that you need it. If you use a bridge bumper without proper care, you can mar the finish on the sound board, or break the bridge of your instrument completely. This is a stick with some padding on it that can be used to move the treble bridge into its proper position or alignment for tuning. The bridge bumper should only be used against the bottom of the bridge. Finally, the leather pad is used to protect the sound board's finish should you happen to be using a bridge bumper for tuning purposes.
The next question to ask yourself is about how often you need to actually tune your hammered dulcimer instrument. The solution to this is actually relatively simple: You should tune only when you actually need to tune. Most hammered dulcimers will naturally stabilize over time, allowing them to be less frequently tuned. Newer hammered dulcimers on the other hand typically need to be often tuned at least in the first few months before their assemblages can normalize. If you are playing a new instrument, then you should expect to sit down and tune it on a fairly regular basis.
Hammered dulcimers are going to need to be retuned in situations where significant humidity changes are in place, because high humidity can cause the wood to absorb moisture, and this will expand the wood. Expansion of the wood will cause the instrument to play more sharply than it is meant to. On the other hand, low humidity will cause the wood to lose moisture, which will shrink the wood and cause the instrument to go flat over time. If you change to heating from air conditioning or from air conditioning to heating, you should plan on retuning your instrument. If you control the humidity in your home more effectively, you will not need to tune your hammered dulcimer as often.
There is some debate regarding whether you should begin at the bottom or the top when tuning your hammered dulcimer. It really does not make much difference though, so the best advice that you can take is simply to begin where you want to. Do what is comfortable for you, tune to the right level for your play, and you should be just fine.
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Originally posted 2009-02-26 05:04:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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